Sandy doles out advice ... and burgers

JUPITER, Fla. -- A couple of days ago, Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara was sitting at his locker, wondering what he could do for some of the Minor Leaguers from Latin American countries who have been playing on the back fields at the Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium complex this spring. That’s when an idea came to him: Take them out for a meal.

So while the Marlins faced the Mets on Tuesday night in a Grapefruit League contest he wasn't scheduled to pitch in, Alcantara and close to 30 players from all levels of the Minors went to nearby Jumby Bay Island Grill for a dinner of wings, cheeseburgers and quesadillas.

Alcantara, who signed a five-year, $56 million extension this offseason, is paying it forward. When he was a top prospect in the Cardinals system, Yadier Molina (Puerto Rico) hosted a similar gathering. Once Alcantara joined the Marlins as the centerpiece of the Marcell Ozuna trade, Martín Prado (Venezuela) did the same. Upon Prado’s retirement, countryman Miguel Rojas became his successor.

"When I came in from the Minor Leagues, I saw those guys doing that for me, and I learned from that," Alcantara said. "I did it yesterday because like I said, I just want to share with them, 'Have fun together, not just here in the park, besides the park. Try to be together, create a big conversation -- not just about baseball, about all life from all countries or cities or whatever.'"

Rotation mates Elieser Hernandez and Pablo López, both from Venezuela, stopped by. So did Rojas. The four big leaguers interacted with the dinner guests, sharing stories of their time in the Minor Leagues. Among those in attendance were Bryan De La Cruz, who was recently optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville, and No. 22 prospect Jerar Encarnación. Both are from the Dominican Republic.

Manager Don Mattingly was aware that Alcantara had planned the outing with the help of a Marlins clubhouse assistant. As a young Bronx Bomber, veteran Yankees took Mattingly under their wings in the same way.

"You love to see them making the organization whole," Mattingly said. "When you see Sandy, who's worked his way through having success, got a pretty good deal, to be able to give that back to some of his other countrymen and the kids that are in the system, it shows them this is where you can go. To me, it's like, pay it forward. So now those kids when they get to be successful, they'll be trying to do the same thing, hopefully."

Building a culture has been a priority for the Marlins since Bruce Sherman's ownership group took over in late 2017. Alcantara, Rojas, Hernandez and López all have been around for the ups and downs of the rebuild, the 2020 playoff run and now renewed expectations in 2022.

Looking around the clubhouse during Wednesday's off-day, unofficial captain Rojas remarked about how much easier his leadership role is these days. Veterans Anthony Bass, Richard Bleier and Dylan Floro guide the bullpen. Alcantara has been the rotation's rock. Rojas has help on the position-player side from countryman Jesús Aguilar, as well as newcomers Joey Wendle and Jacob Stallings (U.S.).

"I think that the most exciting part about that is [for] them to have some connection with the big league club guys," Rojas said. "When you're in the Minor Leagues, you always dream about being in this clubhouse, being next to these guys. And you see them walking around and going to the weight room and stuff, and you always wanted to be there. So for me, that's the kind of interaction that we wanted to have with them and make them believe and make them think that it is possible. It can happen."